With evacuation orders slowly lifting as the containment of the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires grows, officials are helping residents return to their neighborhoods to begin the arduous process of picking up the pieces left after the massive blazes carved a path of destruction through the communities.
Some neighborhoods that were left as virtual ghost towns in the midst of the evacuations are seeing activity once again, and residents are beginning to get a first-hand look at communities that many have described as looking like war zones.
Even as the front lines of the fire moved on, the sheer amount of damage left in the wake of the flames and the wind left many areas unsafe for the general public for more than two weeks. As local law enforcement — aided by National Guard members manning checkpoints — kept people out of the fire zones, crews worked to clear public streets of debris, downed trees or power lines and other dangers.
The larger repopulation process is expected to take some time. Hazardous materials have to be cleared away. Electricity and water has to be restored to many of the areas.
Those coming back to homes with minimal damage could soon begin working with insurance and repair companies to make their residences habitable. But those facing major damage are likely looking at a much longer timeline, officials say.
And as people begin returning to the neighborhoods, law enforcement officials are working to assuage the fears of residents who worry their properties could be left at risk.
‘No longer a ghost town’
On Thursday, Jan. 23, under sunny and clear skies in Altadena, streets left empty and silent for the previous two weeks appeared somewhat back to normal traffic levels.
Dozens of traffic lights on the perimeter of the fire zone along New York Drive, Woodbury Road and Lake Avenue remained flashing red or completely out. Civilian vehicle traffic mixed in with utility vehicles and work trucks.
While law enforcement checkpoints had been removed, National Guard vehicles and armed personnel remained dotted around Altadena, keeping watch.
Crews worked at traffic lights and on power lines. Along Santa Rosa Avenue, the large trees that make up Christmas Tree Lane remained with lights still in place, a snapshot from an Altadena just leaving the holiday season that has now been forever changed.
On the lawn of a home near Mar Vista Avenue and Morada Place a white sign had been placed on the trunk of a tree with the message in red letters, “We Love You Beautiful Altadena,” with a red heart in the place of the word “love.”
Ben Sanders, 35, has lived in Altadena with his wife and two children, Josephine, 7, and Lucy, 5, for the last three years. He grew up in Temple City but has family ties to Pasadena.
Sanders has an art studio in Pasadena and teaches at ArtCenter College of Design. The family’s home near Allen Avenue and New York Drive was not damaged in the fire but only a handful of houses down from one that burned down.
Sanders said after evacuating Jan. 7 around 7 p.m. he returned in the morning to find homes burning. He and other neighbors sprayed down their homes and hoped.
Later that week the family left and stayed with relatives and then in an Airbnb. Sanders said he returned a few days ago to begin cleaning up and while power returned Wednesday, Jan. 22, they don’t plan to fully move back in until the water is deemed safe to drink.
“I feel pretty comfortable coming back,” Sanders said.
He acknowledged that while the house has been cleaned out and the smell of smoke almost completely gone, in the months ahead, debris and other materials kicked into the air during clean up could require more mitigation around the home.
Sanders called his daughters his heroes for the way they have adapted to all the uncertainty of the last two weeks and remained positive. He said many of their friends lost everything.
“They’re more resilient than I think we give them credit for,” Sanders said.
With power back, Sanders said more and more neighbors are returning. The presence of the National Guard at Allen and New York and more people around the neighborhood have eased his concerns about security.
“It’s no longer a ghost town up here so I feel pretty good now about at night nobody coming through,” Sanders said.
Some residents, in online postings, have worried that once neighborhoods re-open and the checkpoints are taken down they are left to fend for themselves.
Law enforcement officials, in recent community meetings, have told residents that just because they don’t see the manned blockades, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone keeping watch over the area.
Officers and deputies — who have made numerous arrests of suspected looters in the burn areas since the fires broke out — are still conducting regular roving patrols of the neighborhoods, law enforcement leaders say, and plan to do so for the foreseeable future.
The ultimately decision on when to lift evacuations in specific areas lies with law enforcement.
Long term law enforcement plans for the burn areas are still under discussion, officials said, with the current day to day focus on getting as much as possible “back up and running.”
“We are working on just getting our residents back,” said Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Raquel Utley. “We are looking at slowly re-populating as much as we can.”
With smoke and ash damage, not to mention debris and potential issues with other hazardous material, it isn’t clear when residents will be able to move back into even homes that were spared by the flames.
And for those whose homes were completely destroyed, their lots will also have to be cleared of debris and hazardous material before the rebuilding process can begin.
Rebuild with purpose
Tony Goss lost two homes near Holliston Avenue and Mendocino Street that he, his wife and two daughters lived in.
Standing Thursday in the ruins of a home he had lived in since the 1960s, Goss kept his focus on moving forward.
“Rebuild,” the 65-year-old retired plumber said. “Rebuild with purpose.”
Goss fought the fire with two hoses into the early morning hours until it grew too large and he had to get in his truck and leave.
“I knew it was over and I just turned left and as soon as I turned left I put it in the past,” Goss said.
He said he has asked SoCal Edison to put in a temporary power pole so he can have power for the shipping container and trailer he planned to put on the property while rebuilding begins.
Goss said he already has contractors in mind who he previously worked with to remodel his homes, which were built in 1916 and 1924, and it’s just a matter of when the plans can be approved.
“They’re supposed to fast-track everything but that means it’ll only take twice as long.” Goss said.
While officials said the removal of law enforcement checkpoints does not mean a decrease in attention to Altadena, Goss said he’d like to see more of a presence and feels the responsibility is being passed onto residents.
“The onus should not be put on us for security and I’m sorry but you should have national guard stationed every five blocks,” Goss said.
The neighborhoods destroyed by the fires ran the spectrum from large mansions to middle class residences and affordable housing, officials noted. City, county and state officials have repeatedly pledged to cut through red tape to make sure rebuilds can move forward as quickly as possible.
“Don’t lose hope, don’t sell your property, the county is all in,” said Helen Chavez Garcia, a spokeswoman for Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.
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